ZHZ's TD220 VTOL Unmanned Aircraft System makes debut in Middle East

At Dubai Airshow 2015, being held until Nov. 12 at Dubai World Central airport, Zhong-Han-Zhi Science & Technology (ZHZ), part of CATIC is showcasing for the first time its TD220 UAS in the MENA region. The TD220 is a VTOL UAS capable of performing a wide range of missions, such as powerline, forestry and oil-pump monitoring and aerial mapping.

The TD220 entered service two years ago, and is currently used by 10 customers in China. The chinese company has reportedly received a total of over 50 orders for TD220 UAVs.

The TD220 co-axial twin-rotor unmanned helicopter is a heavier version of that previously shown, being a 220ME model with twin tailfins and an 300 kg max take-off weight. Fitted with 50 kg of surveillance payload, the TD220 has an endurance of 5h. At Dubai Airshow

Powered by a 65hp (48kW) piston engine, the TD220 is equipped with a HeliAP autopilot with redundant avionics and has completed more than 2,000 hours of flight testing. ZHZ's TD220 has an operational range of 150 km. The TD220 has a cruise speed of about 100 km/h and a ceiling of 4,000m.